This fall, Hurricanes Helene and Milton took America by surprise. Areas once thought safe from hurricanes, like landlocked western North Carolina and sheltered Tampa, were suddenly thrust into chaos as record-breaking storms barrelled toward them. Workers weighed whether they could afford to take time off to evacuate; families sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic and navigated exorbitant travel expenses in their attempts to flee; and after the storms rolled through, people returned to pick up the pieces of their homes, businesses, and livelihoods left in shambles.
It’s a sobering reminder of Superstorm Sandy, which ravaged New York 12 years ago this week. The costs were catastrophic: 53 people died and countless more experienced illness and injury. Over 2 million households lost power, more than 300,000 homes were destroyed and 100,000 more flooded, with damages amounting to an estimated $32 billion.
Extreme weather events like these are only getting more frequent and more devastating. Hurricanes Helene and Milton killed more than 245 people and damages are expected to surpass $50 billion each, while the average household cost can top $20,000. It’s no secret that the climate crisis is here and gaining speed as New Yorkers grow more familiar with sweltering heat; suffocating, smoky air; and severe flooding. But our government is ignoring the crushing financial costs of these disasters for working families and communities.
In the lead-up to Helene and Milton, we heard stories of bosses putting workers in danger, leaving them to choose between job security and their safety. Families living paycheck to paycheck were forced to make impossible decisions about whether they could afford to evacuate, as corporate airlines and hotels grossly jacked up prices responding to demand. Thousands sat in traffic for hours, waiting for fuel and for a route to safety on crowded highways.
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